1. Technical Field
Aspects and embodiments disclosed herein relate to blended polymers, their use as porous polymeric filtration membranes and to methods of preparation thereof.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Membrane filtration devices may be used to separate contaminants, for example, particles, solids, and/or micro-organisms from fluids, for example, water. In membrane filtration devices, fluid is driven through a membrane, while contaminants are excluded from passing through the membrane on the basis of size, due to adsorption onto surfaces of the membrane, or due to electrostatic repulsion from surfaces of the membrane. The driving force for moving fluid through the membrane is typically fluid pressure. Pores in the membrane may exclude particles having sizes greater than the pores from passing through the membrane wall.
A barrier is typically formed between an incoming liquid stream to be filtered, typically referred to as feed, and the filtered liquid stream, typically referred to as filtrate, by sealing the ends of a filtration membrane, for example, a porous hollow membrane, in a module pot. To accomplish effective filtration it is typically desirable that the integrity of the barrier is maintained. Any compromise of the barrier integrity may result in undesirable contamination of the filtrate stream.
The membranes in a membrane filtration system may be formed of various materials, for example, ceramics or polymers.